The present invention relates to a fiber converter faceplate outlet and, more particularly, to such a fiber converter faceplate outlet adapted for use to connect the network interface card of a personal computer to a sever through a switch-hub and a router.
The network interface card of a personal computer is connected to a RJ45 plug at one end of a unshielded twisted pair cable, which has a second RJ45 plug at the other end connected to a RJ45 jack in the wall. The RJ45 jack in the wall is connected to a switch-hub through a unshielded twisted pair cable to a router, which router is connected to a sever through another unshielded twisted pair cable. This personal-computer-to-sever connection cannot effectively eliminate noises, and its data transmission speed is low. In order to eliminate these problems, fiber optic cables are used for the connection between a personal computer and a sever. Therefore, xe2x80x9cFiber to the deskxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cFiber to the homexe2x80x9d are well developed. Fiber cable transmission between a personal computer and a sever can be achieved by either of the following two ways shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In the method shown in FIG. 1, the sever 911 is linked to a router 900 through a fiber optic cable 912, the router 900 is then linked to a switch-hub 914 by a fiber optic cable 913, the switch-hub 914 is in turn connected to a fiber converter 916 by a fiber optic cable 915, which fiber converter 916 is connected to a fiber connector outlet 917 in the wall 92 by a fiber optic cable 902 and then to a fiber converter 919 through a fiber jumper patch cord 918, and the fiber converter 919 is connected to the network interface card 931 of the personal computer 93 by a unshielded twisted pair cable 910. In the method shown in FIG. 2, the sever 941 is connected in series through a router 901 and then a switch-hub 944 to a fiber converter 846 by unshielded twisted pair cables 942, 943 and 945, and the fiber converter 946 is in turn connected to a fiber connector outlet 947 in the wall 96 through a fiber optic cable 904 and then to a fiber converter 949 through a fiber jumper patch cord 948, and the fiber converter 949 is connected to the network interface card 951 of the personal computer 95 by a unshielded twisted pair cable 940. The advantages of the aforesaid two methods include interference and noise free, high capacity, and long connection distance. However, these methods still have drawbacks as outlined hereinafter.
1. Because a big number of many parts (including fiber converters 916, 919; 946,949, fiber jumper patch cord 918;948, and fiber connector outlet 917;947) are used, the installation cost is high.
2. Because a big number of parts are used, the installation and operation procedures are complicated, and the line fails in case the connection between one part (fiber converter 916, 919; 946,949, fiber jumper patch cord 918;948, or fiber connector outlet 917;947) and the respective cable (fiber optic cable or UTP cable 912, 915, 902; 942, 945, 904) is disconnected accidentally.
The present invention has been accomplished to provide a fiber converter faceplate outlet, which eliminates the aforesaid drawbacks. It is one object of the present invention to provide a fiber converter faceplate outlet, which is easy to assemble and convenient to install. It is another object of the present invention to provide a fiber converter faceplate outlet, which requires less installation space. It is still another object of the present invention to provide a fiber converter faceplate outlet, which is inexpensive to manufacture and can be used to substitute for conventional fiber connector outlet, fiber converter, and jumper cable. It is still another object of the present invention to provide a fiber converter faceplate outlet, which has a direct current power jack and a termination block for connecting external power source to an indoor power cord. According to one aspect of the present invention, the fiber converter faceplate outlet comprises a rack holding a circuit board unit, and a metal shield covering the rack and the circuit board unit to protect against electromagnetic interference. The circuit board unit comprises a fiber optical transceiver having two jacks adapted to receive the fiber connector of a respective optic cable, and a telecommunication connector having a RJ45 jack adapted to receive the RJ45 plug of a unshielded twisted pair cable being connected to a network interface card of a personal computer. According to another aspect of the present invention, the rack further comprises a plurality of keyway-like mounting holes for fastening to respective posts of a wall junction box by screws. According to still another aspect of the present invention, the direct current power jack has a receiving side adapted to receive external power cable from external power supply, and the terminal block has a receiving side adapted to receive a house internal power cable.